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What do they gain from this kind of behavior? They've been doing it for years, and I can't find the gain -- unless it's to piss off people enough to get them to take a swing at them, and then they sue the person who hit them.

Its nothing more than a provoke and sue scam. Phelps and his whole family are basically nothing more than the lowest form of ambulance chaser. There might be some so called disgruntled family members who claim they really believe what they say but it is nothing more than bait to sucker people into violating their rights. They are the equivalent of the greedy lawyer who runs up to a rich strong guy,calls him a "butt ****ing pole smoking faggot", rich guy beats the crap out of the greedy lawyer, greedy lawyer sues and gets the rich strong guy's money despite the fact that greedy lawyer provoked the rich strong guy into kicking his ass.

It's a business. They travel the country, set up websites telling you exactly when they'll be there, and using the most inflammatory statements all over the place, just to get someone to violate their rights for profit. Then they sue the military, the police force that was to protect them, and everyone that is around them for money. This is a sham, and it is a trap to get people sued. Every member of his family is an attorney. Phelps does not break the law. What he does is try to make you break the law by trying to punch your sensibilities about everything you hold dear, and then sue you and everyone municipality around him to the max.
This is a scam.
Whether he believes his posters or not is irrelevant.
He's using this as a moneymaking scheme.
Lay one finger on him, do one thing that violates him, and he will sue you, and more importantly, the city, the police department, the US Military, and any private property owner he happens to be standing on to make money off of it.

1974
Phelps files a $50-million class action suit against Sears after a local outlet is several days late delivering a television set. Litigation continues for six years and is eventually settled with Sears paying Phelps $126 — about $60 less than Phelps' son originally paid for the TV, which he never receives.

snip...

1983
Phelps files the first of three federal lawsuits against Washburn University Law School after three of his children are denied admission. The suit contends his children should be granted minority status, and thus benefit from affirmative action, because of their association with their father's "civil rights" legal work.

A later suit switches the argument, alleging reverse discrimination because Phelps' children are white. All are dismissed in 1986.

1984
Phelps sues President Ronald Reagan for sending an ambassador to the Vatican, alleging violations of the constitutional guarantee of freedom of religion.

1985
Nine federal judges in Kansas sign a disciplinary complaint against Phelps, five of his children and a daughter-in-law, alleging the seven made false accusations against the judges.

In a separate complaint, Phelps, still practicing in federal court, will be censured in 1987 for writing abusive letters this year to potential defendants threatening lawsuits if his demands were not met.

snip...

1993
Shawnee County District Attorney Joan Hamilton begins to bring battery, assault and other charges — including eight counts of criminal defamation — against WBC members for a litany of alleged picket line abuses.

After Phelps responds by filing the first of three suits against Hamilton alleging wrongful prosecution, a court invalidates the state defamation statute, enjoins further prosecution of WBC members in the cases, and awards $43,000 in legal fees to the church.

snip...

1997
Claiming the city has not done enough to protect WBC picketers, Phelps threatens to sue Topeka if he is not paid $1 million. When the city demurs, Phelps sues for $7 million.

1978
In one of several civil rights cases filed by Phelps, an area school district pays almost $9,000 to Evelyn Rene Johnson (and over $10,000 in legal fees to Phelps) to settle a discrimination case.

Another Phelps case results in a settlement for blacks who were illegally searched by police at a party.

In 1986 and 1987, Phelps will receive three awards for his civil rights cases, including one bestowed by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

"A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly. But the traitor moves amongst those within the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the alleys, heard in the very halls of government itself. For the traitor appears not a traitor; he speaks in accents familiar to his victims, and he wears their face and their arguments, he appeals to the baseness that lies deep in the hearts of all men. He rots the soul of a nation, he works secretly and unknown in the night to undermine the pillars of the city, he infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist. A murder is less to fear"

It's a business. They travel the country, set up websites telling you exactly when they'll be there, and using the most inflammatory statements all over the place, just to get someone to violate their rights for profit. Then they sue the military, the police force that was to protect them, and everyone that is around them for money. This is a sham, and it is a trap to get people sued. Every member of his family is an attorney. Phelps does not break the law. What he does is try to make you break the law by trying to punch your sensibilities about everything you hold dear, and then sue you and everyone municipality around him to the max.
This is a scam.
Whether he believes his posters or not is irrelevant.
He's using this as a moneymaking scheme.
Lay one finger on him, do one thing that violates him, and he will sue you, and more importantly, the city, the police department, the US Military, and any private property owner he happens to be standing on to make money off of it.

1974
Phelps files a $50-million class action suit against Sears after a local outlet is several days late delivering a television set. Litigation continues for six years and is eventually settled with Sears paying Phelps $126 — about $60 less than Phelps' son originally paid for the TV, which he never receives.

snip...

1983
Phelps files the first of three federal lawsuits against Washburn University Law School after three of his children are denied admission. The suit contends his children should be granted minority status, and thus benefit from affirmative action, because of their association with their father's "civil rights" legal work.

A later suit switches the argument, alleging reverse discrimination because Phelps' children are white. All are dismissed in 1986.

1984
Phelps sues President Ronald Reagan for sending an ambassador to the Vatican, alleging violations of the constitutional guarantee of freedom of religion.

1985
Nine federal judges in Kansas sign a disciplinary complaint against Phelps, five of his children and a daughter-in-law, alleging the seven made false accusations against the judges.

In a separate complaint, Phelps, still practicing in federal court, will be censured in 1987 for writing abusive letters this year to potential defendants threatening lawsuits if his demands were not met.

snip...

1993
Shawnee County District Attorney Joan Hamilton begins to bring battery, assault and other charges — including eight counts of criminal defamation — against WBC members for a litany of alleged picket line abuses.

After Phelps responds by filing the first of three suits against Hamilton alleging wrongful prosecution, a court invalidates the state defamation statute, enjoins further prosecution of WBC members in the cases, and awards $43,000 in legal fees to the church.

snip...

1997
Claiming the city has not done enough to protect WBC picketers, Phelps threatens to sue Topeka if he is not paid $1 million. When the city demurs, Phelps sues for $7 million.

1978
In one of several civil rights cases filed by Phelps, an area school district pays almost $9,000 to Evelyn Rene Johnson (and over $10,000 in legal fees to Phelps) to settle a discrimination case.

Another Phelps case results in a settlement for blacks who were illegally searched by police at a party.

In 1986 and 1987, Phelps will receive three awards for his civil rights cases, including one bestowed by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

Westboro Baptist Church plans to picket Connecticut victims' funerals

The reason they do this is for attention, nothing more, nothing less, and they get it every time. Ever hear of Westboro Baptist Church before they started protesting at funerals and the media reported on it? Me neither.

And I'll bet 10 bucks they don't actually protest at these people's funerals. They make the threat to get attention. They have bluffed many times before, but just the threat gets them the media coverage that they are after.

What do they gain from this kind of behavior? They've been doing it for years, and I can't find the gain -- unless it's to piss off people enough to get them to take a swing at them, and then they sue the person who hit them.

Doesn't the local city hall have to issue a permit? How are they able to get it so fast?

And I think even the ACLU would turn a blind eye if they were detained for a busted tail light or something.

There's no law against being an asshole. Too bad, I would be making citizen arrests all day long but really, society is helpless against certain behaviors.

Oh... well this is the Obama that has a rocking chair on the porch that wears a western hat, whittles wood with a good pocket knike while a piece of straw dangles from his mouth. And he says with a drawl... "make sure that cult never gets to their destination, ya he-A"

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This is the worst kind of discrimination. The kind against ME! ~ Bender